


You Are Really Quite Lovely

by merlocked



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Books, Camelot, Canon Era, Flowers, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magic, Merthur - Freeform, Protective Arthur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-17
Updated: 2014-02-17
Packaged: 2018-01-12 21:12:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1200851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merlocked/pseuds/merlocked
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prince Arthur is taking a leisurely stroll through Camelot when he meets a whimsical warlock that single-handedly manages to turn his life upside-down (quite like how he hangs from the trees). Contains many flowers, a helpful Gaius, an abundance of fluff, a shocked Uther, quite a bit of magic, and many, many books.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Are Really Quite Lovely

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Merthur! I hope that you all enjoy reading it. These characters are so much fun to write. =)
> 
> This fanfic has… A PLAYLIST. It's on 8tracks.com. I put it under the username "merlocked" and it's called, "You're Really Quite Lovely." So yeah, easy to find. And just to make it easier, here's a html code you can copy/paste that will take you right there. Enjoy the story!
> 
> https://8tracks.com/merlocked/merlin-you-re-really-quite-lovely

It’s not that Arthur was stuck up, of course not. It was simply the fact that he liked for people to notice his great and mighty talents. And why shouldn’t they? He was the crown prince of Camelot, and a worthy one at that. Arthur trained heavily, risked his life for lowly peasants, and tended to every last one of his duties. If anyone deserved the throne, it was him. Arthur just wanted everyone to know this.

Of course, everyone was aware of this fact. Prince Arthur had all of the ladies in the land wrapped around his sun-kissed finger. Every lad was struck green with envy, but put him in the highest of respects. Everywhere the prince went, he was followed by herds of people, all singing his praises. However, wherever there is a group, there is an outcast.

 

~~

Arthur was strolling through the town, having finished all of his duties for the day surprisingly early. There was a certain path to the woods that he adored taking a leisurely walk on. The nobleman took a bite out of an apple and smiled at the warm sun beating down on Camelot. Life was good. 

“Hello, Prince Arthur!” 

“Good afternoon, Sire!”

“My Lord, what a pleasure it is to see you!”

Arthur sent a wave and charming grin to each of his admirers, enjoying the much-deserved attention. A certain bounce was in his step today and he felt magnificent. 

‘What a day to be alive. The bright rays of summer are glistening everywhere, the people are happy, and Camelot is thriving as it never has before!’ the prince thought with glee.

After a while of strolling about, Arthur had found himself on the edge of town, nearing the forest. He was about to turn around and make his way back to the castle when he noticed a boy sitting against a tree. The stranger appeared to be reading a book.

‘What a silly pastime: reading. There is much to be done besides eyeing books for pleasure! No matter, I am sure that a visit from the crown prince will turn this chap around.’ Arthur reasoned.

The prince walked up to the boy and gave his largest and most winning smile. To this, the boy did nothing, his eyes still fixed on the pages of his book. Arthur found this odd, yet cleared his throat to make his presence clear. Still, the stranger paid him no notice.

Arthur became rather frustrated at this. No one refused the attention of a prince! This boy had no right to ignore him, none whatsoever. Arthur took a step back and eyed his rude companion. 

The boy had short, black hair. This allowed his large ears to stick out in a way that was most unflattering, yet strangely intriguing. He wore a simple blue shirt adorned with a crimson neckerchief that was obviously a favourite, as it was visibly worn. A plain brown jacket and trousers were sported by the stranger, along with a black leather bracelet. Nothing special. 

“Hello?” Arthur greeted, quite annoyed by this point.

Still nothing.

“How can that stupid book be more interesting than being in front of the Prince of Camelot?”

The boy gave a short laugh and added, “Trust me, it is.”

Arthur was infuriated now. How dare a peasant speak to him in this way! He could throw the boy into the stocks for this. 

“I could throw you in the stocks for this behavior! I am Price Arthur, and you will show me respect!” the noble bellowed.

“Hm, no you won’t.” the stranger replied cheekily, still not bothering to look up from his source of entertainment.

“What is your name? I demand to know!”

“Well, then you can demand all day for all I care,” the peasant retorted, turning his page.

Arthur had had his fill of this stranger. His remarks were inexcusable, intolerable, and made the prince a bit embarrassed if he were truly honest. No one refused Arthur. It simply did not happen. And why should they? He was smart, tactful, handsome, chivalrous, brave, courageous, and had all the makings of a brilliant king. However, the prince could admit to having a bit of a quick temper, which was proven by the way he drew his sword with light speed.

“I am of royal blood! Show me some respect or I shall have your head!”

The boy smiled, “Okay, whatever, Your Royal Clotpole.”

Enough was enough. Arthur charged at full speed for the stranger. This could not go on. He did not want to resort to violence, but the peasant had given him no choice. Arthur tried to be a patient prince, but honestly, who could keep calm towards this bloke? Surely, he was doing the rest of Camelot a favor by teaching this hooligan his place.

Arthur was dangerously close to the boy at this point, but the peasant still had his face in his book. When the tip of the sword nearly pierced the front cover of the bloke’s novel, Arthur found himself thrown backwards with a strong force. In seconds, he was on his back in the dirt, taken by complete surprise. The prince came to his senses quickly and stood up. 

“A sorcerer! I should have known! I could turn you in to the king and have you executed by tomorrow morn!”

The boy did not look up. He grinned and spoke tauntingly, “No you won’t.”

“Do not tell me what I can and cannot do! I am the Prince of Camelot!” replied Arthur, at his wits end.

“Yes, I am aware. You have mentioned it a thousand times now.”

“That’s it! Come with me!” Arthur commanded, walking up and grabbing the boy by his wrist.

“Oh, but do we really have to make it a public affair? Why don’t you just slay me now?”

“Ha! And let everyone miss out on the execution of a sorcerer? Not a chan-“ 

Arthur found himself interrupted by the sight of the boy’s eyes as the bloke closed his book and stood. They were… quite extraordinary to say the least. A crisp blue was prominent, yet flecks of gold shined through.

“Well?” the boy remarked, obviously feeling a bit uncomfortable. “Aren’t you going to take me to my doom or whatever?”

“Uh, yes. Yeah.” The prince cleared his throat. “Yes, I am. However, you do not sound very phased by this. Why is that?”

His companion grinned, once again. Arthur found that the smile was rather improved when the crinkle of the lad’s eyes were visible. However, he would never admit to this out loud.

“Oh, because I know that you aren’t actually going to do that.”

“I’m not?”

“Of course not.”

Arthur eyed the boy suspiciously. “And what am I going to do, then?”

“Well, to be honest, I don’t think you’re going to be too thrilled. I mean, it’s lovely of course, but your color? Gods, no. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not horrible by any means. On the contrary, it’s quite a beautiful piece. I’m just not sure that YOU would go for that sort of-“

Arthur snapped, “What are you going on about?”

The boy laughed heartily and the prince watched as his companion’s eyes flickered yellow. It was absolutely mesmerizing to watch. However, the feeling of enchantment faded as he watched the bloke double over in giggles. What a girl.

“What?”

More laughter.

“WHAT?”

The boy took a look at Arthur and tried to compose himself. He failed and almost fell onto the ground chuckling so hard.

Prince Arthur was confused by this. Perhaps it was something that he was wearing? The noble glanced down at his attire and grew horror-struck. His expensive textiles had been exchanged for a… a … a dress! 

“Change my clothes back immediately!” The prince demanded, furious.

“Oh, but you look so lovely, your highness!” the boy managed in his fit of laughter. What a mortifying experience this was for Arthur. 

“Change them back!”

The peasant grinned slyly, “And why would I do that?”

“Because I look ridiculous! I cannot venture back to Camelot dressed like a girl! I will be a laughing stock!”

“Look who’s catching on,” the bloke remarked as he rolled his eyes. He turned his attention to the tree he had been reading by. As the boy was walking towards the giant, he found himself with another question from the nobleman.

“I will take you straight to the king once I sort out this clothes situation. You will be beheaded!” 

The boy grimaced, as though he had eaten a piece of bad meat. “Ew, the king. I really don’t like that guy.”

Arthur was outraged by this remark. “That is my father you are speaking of! I am the prince!”

“One thousand and one!” the boy sing-songed.

“I demand to know your name.”

“I demand that you are a dollophead.”

“That’s not even a word!” the prince exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air in defeat.

“It’s Merlin,” stated the boy as he began to climb the tree.

“What?”

“My name. It’s Merlin.” 

Arthur smirked. “Isn’t that a bird?”

Merlin reached for a higher branch. “Rather be a bird than a dollophead.”

“That is a ridiculous word. Explain this ‘dollop head’ immediately.”

Merlin quirked his eyebrows and responded with, “In two words?”

“Yes.”

“Prince. Arthur.”

The knight frowned, “I suppose you think you are funny.”

“A bit, yes,” the peasant commented, climbing higher.

Prince Arthur found himself at a loss. Here he was in the forest. In a dress. With a sorcerer. What a turn of events this day presented. If he was stuck here, though, he may as well learn a bit more about his guest.

The prince sat on a large rock and asked, “So MERlin, where do you live? I haven’t seen you around Camelot.”

“Oh, I live around.”

“Around where?”

“Around,” Merlin spoke. He was too busy climbing onto a limb, finding that it was a simply brilliant spot to sit and admire the forest. 

Apparently, Arthur did not seem to find tree climbing to be an important sport and pressed on with the tedious questions.

“Where is your family?”

Merlin picked a flower from one of the tree’s braches and tucked it behind his ear before answering with, “What family?”

Arthur watched as Merlin kicked his feet back and forth. It seemed that this boy was a mystery wrapped up in a puzzle, and, Arthur never backed away from a challenge.

“Any friends?”

The brown-haired boy tapped his chin. “Do animals count? Because it seems that this furry stray cat has taken a bit of a fancy to me. Always leaves me dead mice and rodents as little presents. Of course, I find it quite endearing, but I really am not fond of dead-”

“MERlin,” the prince commented, unamused by the other’s light-hearted tangents.

“Hm?” the other replied, upside-down. He had somehow managed to swing his legs over the branch and let his body hang from the tree, rather like a child.

“So, you mean to tell me that you are all alone out here?”

“Oh, it’s not so bad.”

The prince looked at Merlin rather doubtfully, “Why not settle somewhere?”

Merlin shrugged. “Everyone thinks I’m a freak. Y’know, magic and all.”

“What about the Druids? Don’t they accept everyone or something?”

The brunette laughed at this. “The Noble Knights of Camelot,” Merlin managed to make this title drip with sarcastic affection, “attacked their village, remember? They’re all either dead or far, far away from here. Besides, they didn’t like me either.”

Arthur grimaced at this remark, remembering the ambush on the Druids. It was certainly a bloody battle and there weren’t many survivors. The prince hadn’t wanted to kill all those people, but King Uther was a demanding ruler.

The noble looked up at Merlin. The boy was right-side up now, standing on the branch without holding onto anything for support. He performed this stunt as if were a perfectly normal thing to do.

“You are going to fall from that tree,” Arthur remarked plainly.

“Warlock, remember?”

Arthur furrowed his eyebrows, “Still.”

A silence followed this comment and the prince found himself at a loss. What was he supposed to do now? Stay in hiding forever because he was too ashamed to walk back to Camelot in a dress? Well, yes. I suppose he was.

The knight stood up from his place on the rock and said, “Can you PLEASE- wait. How did you get that book if you were all the way up there?”

Merlin did not look up from his reading material, but simply replied with, “Warlock.”

“Right, well. Mr. Warlock, can you please get me out of this god-forsaken dress?”

“But then you’ll leave,” Merlin pointed out, this time putting down his novel and looking Arthur straight in the eyes. He looked… sad.

The blonde found that he did not know what to say to this. He was struck with silence while he tried to come up with a good response. It was true; Arthur was planning on leaving with his clothes properly restored. However, there did seem to be a slight change of plans. Arthur found it hard to formulate words with Merlin staring at him with his big, blue-and-gold eyes.

“Well, yes, but-”

Merlin cut the knight off, gaze returned to his book. “It’s okay. It was wrong of me to keep you, I know. You should probably head off, then.” 

“I…” the prince began, glancing to the ground and suddenly feeling very guilty. Looking down, he saw something different; no dress. Merlin had returned Arthur to his proper clothes.

“Yes, well, I-er. I suppose that I won’t be taking you to the king. I’ll just be on my way.”

The big-eared bloke looked at the nobleman and smiled a lovely smile. “I told you so.”

 

~~

 

That night, Prince Arthur was dining with his father and the Lady Morgana. A kind servant whom Arthur had befriended, named Guinevere, was refilling their wine goblets. A lull in the conversation had formed, and the prince decided to fill it.

“I’ve been thinking,” he began.

King Uther urged him on, quite thankful for the return of table conversation. “Yes, my son?”

“What if all sorcerers are not evil?”

King Uther stared at him in shock. Lady Morgana spit wine across the table. Guinevere spilt her drink pitcher and excused herself to retrieve a towel to clean up the mess.

“It seems you have had far too much beverage tonight, my son,” King Uther decided.

Lady Morgana stared at the prince wide-eyed, “Surely, you jest. What you speak of is treason, Arthur!”

King Uther nodded towards his ward. “What Morgana says is true. I should like to believe that this is the wine talking!”

At this time, Guinevere had returned and made herself busy mopping up the red liquid that seemed to be splattered all across the table and floor. 

“Guinevere! Surely you have an opinion in this matter?” Arthur asked, rather hopeful that she would side with him.

The servant looked around nervously, showing her discomfort of the question. “I am sorry, Sire. I must return to the kitchens and fetch another towel to clean the spills.”

The prince sighed and excused himself from the table, agreeing that he had consumed far too much wine and needed a rest. 

 

~~

 

Instead of residing to his bedchambers, Arthur had paid himself a visit to the Court Physician, Gaius. The prince had known Gaius from birth and considered the physician a part of his family. 

“Gaius, I would like to ask you a question, if you will.”

The physician smiled and nodded, motioning for Arthur to take a seat in one of the chairs in his quarters. “Anything, Sire.”

“Do you believe that all sorcerers have malicious intent, or could some be kind-hearted?”

“I am not sure it is my place to-” the physician began, only to be interrupted by the prince.

“I am not my father, Gaius. You can tell me your honest opinion.”

Gaius seemed to be convinced and answered with, “I do not think so, Sire. Surely, not all sorcerers are cruel of heart.”

Arthur stood, gave a grin, and clapped his hands together. “Oh, thank you, Gauis! I knew I could trust your judgment!” And with that, the prince half-skipped from the physician’s quarters, possibly humming as well.

Gauis sighed to himself, “Oh, the youth of the castle.”

 

~~

 

Arthur smiled to himself the next afternoon as he walked through the marketplace. Once again, he had completed all of his duties early. However, he had a bit of motivation running through his mind this morning. This motivation came in the form of a little lonely wizard with a wonderful grin.

The prince polished a crisp apple against his shirt and held the fruit up to catch the sunlight. He simply could not wait to meet the warlock again, and he could only hope that his brown-haired acquaintance would be in the same place as yesterday. Nevertheless, the blonde was a bit nervous about their meeting, as he wished to propose an idea to the other.

As luck would have it, Merlin was propped up against the same tree that he had been the previous day. The only difference was the change in his book.

“Hello, Merlin!” the king greeted.

Unlike the other day, the sorcerer looked up from his novel and grinned. He responded with a friendly, “Good Afternoon, Princess Prat. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

It seemed that Merlin’s smile was contagious, as Arthur soon found his own lips turning up to match his companion’s. “Very funny. Actually I came to give you this!” Arthur held out the apple to Merlin, who eyed it suspiciously.

“So,” the large-eared boy began, “you walked here all the way from Camelot just to give me a piece of fruit?”

The prince scratched the back of his neck with one hand and tried to give the other a convincing face. It was apparent that Merlin was not impressed, but reached out to take the apple anyways.

The warlock took a bite out of the red fruit and answered after chewing, “Is giving apples to lowly peasants a part of your princely duties or something?”

“Of course not! I just thought, you know, you might get hungry out here all alone. I mean, where do you even sleep?” the prince asked, curious. 

Merlin shrugged, “Around.”

“Around where?”

“Around.”

Arthur huffed at this, frustrated and watched as the other boy took another chunk out of the fruit. ‘Well,’ he thought, ‘It’s now or never.’

“Merlin,” the knight began.

“Hm?”

“I was wondering if I could offer you a job at the castle. As my servant.” 

Merlin almost choked on his apple and Arthur had crouch down and make sure he was okay. It appeared that the young warlock had been taken by such a surprise that his magic had turned against him and caught a bush on fire. The bush, unfortunately, was very close to where Arthur had relocated.

“Merlin, you idiot!” the prince exclaimed as he jumped up and frantically attempted to put out the flames with his boots. 

The brunette stared at Arthur as if he were positively mental. “Arthur, you are positively mental! That is the worst idea I have ever heard!”

The prince, now having successfully put out the fire with no help from Merlin, was having his turn feeling shocked. “What? Why? Camelot will love you!”

“Oh, yes, and I imagine they will all greet me with pastries and banners that read, ‘Welcome Sorcerer!’” the warlock remarked.

“Okay,” the noble began, “But they won’t have to KNOW that you practice magic, will they? It can be our secret. I won’t tell anyone, I swear.”

Merlin gave his companion a sad smile. “I know you won’t. But come on, Arthur. It’s a downright terrible idea. They will completely hate me. Look, I appreciate what you are trying to do-“  
“What am I trying to do?” the prince asked, feeling confused as to why Merlin would not just take the job.

“You’re trying to be the prize-winning prince and offer the little homeless wizard a place in the castle. I appreciate it, I really do, but they aren’t my kind of people.”

“Can I be your kind of person? You can just be my guest. You won’t have to talk to anyone else. You’ll have food, and a warm home, and all the books you would ever want to read. Please just consider it?” the prince begged.

“Why are you doing this, Arthur?” Merlin asked, honestly.

This question hit the nobleman right in the face. Why exactly WAS he doing this? Yes, he did feel bad for the poor guy, but it was more than that. Now that he really thought about it, it was a LOT more than that. Okay, so maybe Arthur had taken a bit of a fancy to the warlock, but surely this was what any respectable prince would do? 

The prince sighed, “Because I want to. Please?”

“I’m sorry, Arthur,” Merlin began, sounding blue. “I just can’t.”

The young noble exhaled and took a seat directly across from Merlin on the ground. Their eyes met briefly, before each looked away, embarrassed. A silence followed, but was broken minutes later when the prince brought up a question.

“What are you reading?”

The sorcerer lifted his book as if to ask, ‘This?’ “Oh, this is just a book of maps outlining Camelot.”

Arthur raised his eyebrows questioningly, “A book of maps… of Camelot?”

“Yes, I picked it up in your precious kingdom the other day.”

“In Camelot?” The prince was growing suspicious. “You went into Camelot to purchase a book and promptly left to seek the comfort of a tree?”

The wizard fixed his eyes on the ground. “Okay so maybe that was a lie. It’s, it’s a book of poems, okay? And no, I didn’t get it from Camelot.”

“Really, Merlin? Poems? Certainly you can find better literature than a silly book of rhymes,” the prince scoffed.

The warlock motioned the prince close, as if to tell him a secret. Arthur complied, leaning closer and closer, until they were only inches apart. Merlin promptly flicked him on the cheek and leaned back against his tree.

“Ow! What was that for?”

The young warlock smiled to himself, “For making fun of my poetry book, dollophead.”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Again with the dollophead? You are aware that it is not an actual word, correct?”

Merlin hopped to his feet, leaving his book on the ground. He then searched the woods, as if he were looking for something very specific. The sorcerer’s eyes locked on their target and Merlin jumped up to reach a tiny yellow flower that was blooming on one of the trees’ branches.

“Whatever,” the brunette mumbled as he fixed the flower behind his ear and smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt. “Don’t you have more regal things to do than hang around with outlaws?”

“You’re not an outlaw, MERlin.”

“Close enough.”

Arthur sighed, “Won’t you just think about the offer?”

“Sure,” the wizard replied, tapping a finger to his chin. A short pause ensued, and then was followed by a decided “No.”

“You are impossible.”

“Nothing is impossible, my dear Arthur!” Merlin smiled. His eyes flashed gold and in a matter of seconds the once bare, brown forest floor was covered in a field of flowers, much like the one the warlock had behind his ear.

Arthur gasped, completely awed by the beauty of his companion’s magic. The prince decided to pick a few to take home to Camelot. His room was rather plain, and such lovely flowers would certainly liven it up.

However, the noble knew that Merlin was right. There were things to be done. It was not very princely to laze around in the forest all day. Reluctantly, Arthur informed the warlock that he would have to be on his way.

“One second,” Merlin asked, as his eyes flickered yellow once more.

Arthur was confused, “What did you do?”

“Now the flowers will never wilt,” the other shrugged. “Perhaps you could keep them and they will remind you of me.”

The prince smiled from ear to ear as he nodded and turned to return home.

 

~~

 

Arthur found himself back in the physician’s quarters after an uneventful dinner. It seemed that Gaius was the only person in the entire castle who did not think of execution at the very mentioning of sorcerers.

“Prince Arthur! Back so soon?” the physician greeted.

“Yes. I was hoping that I could ask some advice of you.”

Gaius nodded, “Anything, sire.”

Arthur chose his words carefully, not wanting the elderly physician to get wrapped up in his debacle. He was here solely for advice, not asking Gaius to endanger himself by helping a sorcerer. That would never go over well with the king.

“Say someone were to meet someone who was… different,” the prince began, having a bit of trouble putting words together so precisely. “And this different person was unwelcome in most places.”

“Go on,” Gaius instructed, looking bewildered, yet increasingly suspicious.

“Well, say this person had no place to stay and was, like I said, highly unwelcome. But, this person also was very kind and really quite lovely. People just had a hard time seeing that. What would you do?” Arthur concluded, seeming happy enough with his question.

The physician eyed the prince, “This does seem rather specific, sire. However, I suppose that I would try and help the poor soul. If this person is truly no threat to others, then why not? Although, it does seem that you are hinting along the lines of someone who possesses a certain... gift. I would advise you to do as your heart decides, but to be very careful.”

The prince was satisfied with this response and nodded, “I will heed these words, Gaius. Thank you.”

 

~~

 

That night, the prince found himself unable to sleep. His thoughts were all focused on a certain brown-haired, blue-eyed boy. It was ridiculous! Arthur had only known this bloke for two days, and yet he felt completely smitten. 

How could all those people simply turn away Merlin? Cheeky, mischievous, little Merlin? It made no sense. There was no way that Arthur was going to let the warlock sleep in the woods for the rest of his life. How perfectly unsanitary! There had to be some way to convince the boy to come to Camelot. 

Arthur could keep a secret. He would not tell anyone of Merlin’s magic. He could count on Gaius to make that promise as well, and perhaps Guinevere as well. She certainly was an honorable servant, being kind to everyone. She would understand and welcome Merlin with open arms. 

‘Yes,’ Arthur thought before he finally fell asleep, ‘This could work.’

 

~~

 

Arthur visited Merlin every day at noon. Each day he would plead for Merlin to come and live at the castle and each day the warlock would decline. Then the price would sit down and watch as Merlin picked a flower and placed it behind his ear. After this, Arthur would ask the boy about his book and sometimes, if he was feeling up to it, Merlin would read aloud.

Before Arthur left, the other would perform a little magic for the prince’s entertainment. Some days he would create butterflies out of the wind and have them perch on Arthur’s finger before they flew away. Other times, Merlin would start a small fire and create pictures of dragons and fairies from the smoke. It delighted Merlin to see his friend look so incredibly enchanted by his magic.

Today however, things went a little differently. Arthur was completely set on having Merlin come live at the castle. He had a plan that had to work. See, the prince had maybe, possibly fell for the warlock somewhere along the line. He could not pinpoint when exactly, but it had happened. The prince could not bear to see his magic friend to be all alone for one more day.

Just as he was thinking this, the prince arrived at his destination. He cleared his throat to make his presence clear to Merlin. The nobleman kept one hand behind his back, clutching on to something.

“Arthur!” Merlin smiled happily. The warlock stood up immediately and ran over, wrapping the prince up in a hug. This made Arthur blush, as the wizard had only began to hug him recently.

Merlin stepped back and cocked his head to one side, “What have you got behind your back?”

Arthur looked from one side and then to the other, before pointing at himself questioningly, “Who? Me? I haven’t got anything.”

“Liar!” the warlock accused.

“Okay, okay,” Arthur laughed, “You’ve got me. Close your eyes.”

“What?”

The prince grinned, “Just do it.” 

Merlin complied, feeling the prince’s presence move closer. He felt the noble reach his hand out and tuck something behind his ear: a flower. The warlock opened his eyes.

“For you,” the blonde smiled as Merlin blushed light pink and ducked his head.

“Merlin,” Arthur whispered suddenly. The prince swallowed, finding himself grow quite nervous. He was not used to putting his heart out on the line.

Despite this, the king-to-be reached his hand out to tilt Merlin’s chin up. Their eyes met and Arthur asked, “Will you come to live at the castle? Please?”

“Arthur, I-” 

However, the brunette was unable to complete his protest. Arthur had instead closed the gap between their lips and found himself kissing Merlin. At first, the warlock stood frozen, but after a few seconds he began to respond to the kiss. A smile spread across Arthur’s lips as he cupped Merlin’s face with his hands.

The prince pulled away, out of breath and leaned his forehead against Merlin’s. “Please,” he asked desperately and barely audible. 

“Okay,” Merlin agreed, grinning softly.

“I’ve asked Gaius, the court physician, and has agreed to let you stay in his spare bedroom. He has many sorcerers as friends and will let you practice magic all you want. Don’t worry about my father, I have already informed him of our new guest and he is looking forward to meeting you. Lady Morgana wants to meet you as well. She is the king’s ward. Also, I will introduce you to Guinevere, who is her servant. I believe you will love her, she is quite friendly.” Arthur rambled on, elated that Merlin had finally said yes.

“I’m sure she is,” Merlin spoke as he wrapped his arms around Arthur’s neck. “But I don’t think that I could love her as much as I love you.”

“You… love me?” Arthur asked, eyes wide.

Merlin stepped out of the embrace and skipped over to ‘his tree’, as Arthur began calling it. The warlock reached up to grab a limb and started climbing as he spoke, “Well, yeah. I mean, why else would I just casually sit at the end of the Crown Prat’s walking path? Because I simply adore that view of Camelot? I don’t think so.”

“Oh,” Arthur commented as he watched Merlin walk across a branch and loop his legs around it. In seconds, he was hanging upside down as he had done before.

“Duh,” Merlin rolled his eyes.

Arthur walked up to the warlock and grinned. “Well,” he started, “I suppose I’ve come to love you too, you idiot.”

“Hey!” Merlin was about to stick his tongue out, but the prince ducked in to kiss the upside-down warlock. The brunette sighed happily and let his magic roam about inside him. 

When Arthur broke the kiss, it was because he had felt something tickle the back of his neck. As he looked up, the noble saw hundreds of butterflies in every color fluttering around the two boys. A stunning orange-and-blue one landed gently on Merlin’s nose. The wizard huffed, which made Arthur giggle quite like a girl.

The butterfly flittered away and Arthur leaned in to kiss Merlin’s nose precisely where the insect had landed. “Will you come home now?” the prince wondered.

“I suppose I could,” Merlin chuckled.

Arthur helped the warlock down and reached for his hand, making Merlin smile and blush. “Arthur?” he asked.

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

The prince leaned in and pecked the brown-haired boy on the lips before squeezing their hands reassuringly. He then led Merlin on towards the castle and into a world full of impending adventures.


End file.
